Hand wear storage pocket

ABSTRACT

An article of clothing for at least partly covering a human torso, the article including a hand wear storage pocket extending from a front opening disposed along a front edge to a rear edge, the hand wear storage pocket including a top edge and a bottom edge, a rear portion of the hand wear storage pocket being disposed in a side area of the jacket below an armhole and above a waist band, the front opening and a height between the top and bottom edges adapted for insertion of a wearer&#39;s hand into the side area wherein the hand and an arm crosses the wearer&#39;s front torso, the hand being covered in a hand wear item, and wherein the side area is adapted to be compressed by an opposing arm of the wearer.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.15/491,110 filed Apr. 19, 2017 which claimed priority from U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/324,518 filed Apr. 19, 2016.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a novel method for hand wear removal andstorage. The invention provides a hand wear storage pocket, for storinggloves, mittens and the like in the torso portion of a garment such as ajacket or coveralls. The hand wear storage pocket has a portion underthe upper arm between the elbow and armpit. A gloved hand inserted intothe pocket can be compressed with the inside surface of the upper arm orelbow, the hand can be removed and the glove is retained within theglove storage pocket. Hand wear storage ideally retains gloves, mittsetc. laying flat and as thin as possible. Such storage is achieved byclenching or pinching the finger section of the hand wear and removingthe hand whilst the hand wear remains in place within the hand wearstorage pocket.

BACKGROUND OF THE ART

Hand wear such as gloves and mittens are used in cold weather for warmthand for protecting the hands during sports and workplace activities.Apart from tight fitting surgical or rubber gloves, many types of glovesand mittens diminish feeling, precision, dexterity and ability to gripcompared to a bare human hand.

Removal of gloves or mittens is often necessary or desirable during workor sports, while driving or to access items in a pocket or purse. Toremove gloves or mittens, the wearer must grip the glove or mitten ofone hand with the opposite hand or with teeth to pull the hand fromwithin the glove. Use of teeth is unsanitary but effective when one handis occupied holding a tool, ladder or steering wheel. In the interestsof preserving the glove material and to avoid contact between the mouthand unsanitary gloves, wearers must have two hands free to grip andremove gloves.

After gloves or mittens are removed, the wearer can use their bare handsto perform the required task. The gloves may be misplaced, forgotten andlost. Removed gloves may be placed on oily or dirty surfaces and becomecontaminated. Young children are especially prone to lose gloves ormittens when playing or otherwise distracted, but dropping, losing ordamaging of gloves or mittens is a frustration experienced by all ages.

Various products are on the market with the intention of helping peopleto prevent loss of gloves or mittens. Existing solutions sometimescreate safety issues, or are troublesome, unreliable, annoying andcumbersome. For example, children's mittens or gloves are often tied toa string that passes through the sleeves of their coats. Strings can getcaught on playground equipment or doors and trip the child. Attachinggloves to the end of a sleeve with straps and fasteners may prevent lossbut creates a safety hazard when driving or working with tools. Looseclothing and loose hair are usually prohibited by workplace safetyregulations.

Ski jackets often have large flexible mesh pockets on the inside frontthat can be used to store ski gloves when not skiing. The front of thejacket must be opened and ski gloves are stored inside when the jacketis open and the wearer is indoors or not skiing. Most coats and jacketshave small pockets that are not large enough for gloves or mittens whichleads to one or both gloves or mittens falling out of the pocket. When awearer goes indoors or a worker stops work, gloves or mittens areremoved. The wearer must find a place to store the gloves so that theyare easily found when needed.

Features that distinguish the present invention from the background artwill be apparent from review of the disclosure, drawings and descriptionof the invention presented below.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides an article of clothing for at least partlycovering a human torso, the article including a hand wear storage pocketextending from a front opening disposed along a front edge to a rearedge, the hand wear storage pocket including a top edge and a bottomedge, a rear portion of the hand wear storage pocket being disposed in aside area of the jacket below an armhole and above a waist band, thefront opening and a height between the top and bottom edges adapted forinsertion of a wearer's hand into the side area wherein the hand and anarm crosses the wearer's front torso, the hand being covered in a handwear item, and wherein the side area is adapted to be compressed by anopposing arm of the wearer.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the invention may be readily understood, one embodiment ofthe invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanyingdrawings.

FIG. 1 is a front-left view of jacket with left and right hand wearstorage pockets extending rearwardly from a front edge opening with anoptional top and/or rear edge zipper fastener that allows the frontcover flap of the pocket to be rotated downward about the bottom edgefor cleaning and repairing of the pocket interior surfaces as seen inFIG. 5.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the jacket of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a left side view of the jacket of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the jacket of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a right side view of the jacket of FIGS. 1-4 with the rightarm raised to expose the optional feature of a front cover flap of thepocket rotated downward about the bottom edge of the pocket for accessto the pocket interior surfaces.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the jacket where the user, with a right handraised, has inserted a left hand wearing a glove into the right sidepocket opening.

FIG. 7 is front view of the jacket where, with a right elbow clampingthe fingers of the left hand and glove, the user slides the left handfrom within the glove while the glove is stowed in the right sidepocket.

FIG. 8 is a female version showing front-left view of women's jacketwith left and right hand wear storage pockets similar to the jacket ofFIG. 1 but with the pockets located lower on the torso.

FIG. 9 is a left side view jacket of FIG. 8.

Further details of the invention and its advantages will be apparentfrom the detailed description included below.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1 and 8 show a jacket as an example of an article of clothingwhich can include a hand wear storage pocket 1, for removing and holdinga glove or mitten. It will be understood that any article of clothingthat at least partly covers a human torso can be adapted to include thehand wear storage pocket 1, such as a coat, overalls, a shirt, or avest.

The hand wear storage pocket 1 includes a front opening 2 along a frontedge of the pocket 1 that in the examples illustrated is closed with azipper fastener 3. As best seen in FIGS. 3 and 9, the pocket 1 isdefined between the front edge 4, the rear edge 5, a top edge 6, and abottom edge 7 and an. Other shapes of pockets 1 can include an arcuateor crescent shape, or include a rounded top edge 6 as shown in FIG. 3.

A rear portion 6 of the hand wear storage pocket 1 is disposed in a sidearea of the jacket below the armhole or sleeve 8 and above the waistband 9. The side area is adjacent the inner arm and elbow. The frontopening 2 and a height of the pocket between the top and bottom edges 6,7 are relatively large compared to a traditional pocket and are selectedto allow insertion of a gloved or mittened hand.

The use of the hand wear storage pocket 1 is as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.To remove and store a glove in the pocket 1, the wearer inserts one hand(as shown the left hand) while wearing a glove into the opening 2 (ofthe right pocket 1). The wearer slides the gloved hand until at leastthe fingers of the gloved hand are within the rear portion in the sidearea between the armhole or sleeve 8 and the waist band 9 as shown inFIG. 6. The wearer then moves the right arm and elbow towards the torsoto squeeze the hand, glove and pocket 1 as shown in FIG. 7 with theopposing right arm. While the glove is squeezed, the wearer withdrawsthe left hand from the glove and pocket 1. The glove remains within thepocket 1 in the side area. The opposite process is carried out for theright hand and left pocket 1.

Advantageously, the wearer can remove the gloves without using bothhands. The right hand can remain gripped to a tool or ladder for examplewhile the left hand glove is removed.

The hand wear storage pocket 1 can include a high friction grip materialon an interior surface to aid in gripping and removal of the glove. FIG.5 shows the pocket opened with high friction grip material 10. The handwear storage pocket 1 may have a remaining portion with a low frictionmaterial on an inside surface to aid in inserting and removing the glovefrom the front portion of the pocket 1. Alternatively, the entireinterior surface of the hand wear storage pocket can be covered with ahigh friction grip material or surface layer or coating. For use in wetsporting activities or wet/oily working environments, the hand wearstorage pocket 1 can have a water resistant inside surface or aremovable waterproof liner.

The high friction grip material aids in gripping the fingers of theglove as the side portion of the pocket 1 is squeezed between the arm,elbow and the torso when the hand is removed from the glove and alsowhen the glove is squeezed during re-insertion of the hand. The highfriction grip material also assists in retaining the removed glovewithin the pocket 1. Vigorous movement during sporting, climbing orworking activities could dislodge a glove from the pocket 1 if theinside lining and/glove were smooth or slippery. The combination of ahigh friction grip material on the inside surface of the pocket 1 and arearward downward orientation of the pocket 1 is preferred to retain theglove in the pocket 1 using friction and gravity.

Since the pocket 1 may be easily soiled when used in farming, sportingor mechanic environments the pocket 1 can optionally include a topand/or rear edge fastener 11 along the top edge 6, and the rear edge 5such as a zip fastener, a hook-and-loop fastener, or other releasablefastening means. As shown in FIG. 5, the optional top and/or rear edgefastener 11 disposed along the top edge 6 and the rear edge 5 defines aflexible front cover flap 12 that can be rotated downward about thebottom edge 7, when the top and/or rear edge fastener 11 is opened, toexpose an internal surface of the hand wear storage pocket 1. The flap12 in the open position of FIG. 5 permits easy cleaning in a washingmachine for example and access for repairs when necessary. A removableor disposable pocket liner can be provided to easily deal with theaccumulation of dirt or grease.

As described above, some benefits of the hand wear storage pocket 1 areas follows:

the pocket 1 is dedicated to the storage of gloves together with thejacket, coat or other clothing so that gloves are readily available andnot misplaced or forgotten;

the pocket 1 is ergonomically aligned with a natural movement of thehand and arm to and from the side underarm area such that a wearer canremain attentive to a task occupying the opposite hand;

the pocket 1 is unobtrusive and the storage of bulky hand wear under thearm does not interfere substantially with body movements; and

the underarm location of the pocket 1 adjacent the torso ensures thatthe gloves and particularly the finger areas remain warm.

Although the above description relates to a specific preferredembodiment as presently contemplated by the inventor, it will beunderstood that the invention in its broad aspect includes mechanicaland functional equivalents of the elements described herein.

I claim:
 1. An article of clothing for at least partly covering a humantorso, the article including a hand wear storage pocket extending from afront opening disposed along a front edge to a rear edge, the hand wearstorage pocket including a top edge and a bottom edge, a rear portion ofthe hand wear storage pocket being disposed in a side area of the jacketbelow an armhole and above a waist band, the front opening and a heightbetween the top and bottom edges adapted for insertion of a wearer'shand into the side area wherein the hand and an arm crosses the wearer'sfront torso, the hand being covered in a hand wear item, and wherein theside area is adapted to be compressed by an opposing arm of the wearer.2. The article according to claim 1 wherein the hand wear storage pocketincludes a high friction grip material on an internal surface of therear portion.
 3. The article according to claim 2 wherein a remainingportion of the hand wear storage pocket has a low friction material onan internal surface.
 4. The article according to claim 1 wherein thehand wear storage pocket has a water resistant internal surface.
 5. Thearticle according to claim 1 wherein the hand wear storage pocketincludes a removable liner.
 6. The article according to claim 1 whereinthe hand wear storage pocket includes a top and/or rear edge fastenerdisposed along the top edge and the rear edge defining a flexible frontcover flap adapted to be rotated downward about the bottom edge, whenthe top and/or rear edge fastener is in an open position, to expose aninternal surface of the hand wear storage pocket.
 7. The articleaccording to claim 6 wherein the top and/or rear edge fastener comprisesone of: a zip fastener; and a hook-and-loop fastener.